Governance: An international journal of policy, administration and institutions

New modes of governance for long-term societal challenges

Modern industrialized societies are confronted with immense long-term challenges. But Derk Loorbach of Erasmus University says that two dominant ways of managing those challenges — top-down steering by government or the free market approach — are inadequate. In the current issue of Governance (23.1), Loorbach describes a new governance approach, “transition management,” drawn from experience in the Netherlands. Broad-based innovation networks created under the banner of transition management produce shared visions for social reform while preserving space for short-term innovation. These networks, says Loorbach, “are increasingly influencing regular policies in areas such as energy supply, mobility, health care, agriculture, and water management.” Read more: Transition Management for Sustainable Development: A Prescriptive, Complexity-Based Governance Framework.